


The Battle Of Heights

by powerfulsmiles



Category: DBSK|Tohoshinki|TVXQ
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-20
Updated: 2013-11-20
Packaged: 2018-01-02 03:19:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1051905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/powerfulsmiles/pseuds/powerfulsmiles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yunho is starting to get taller and Changmin is concerned...and jealous. Things happen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Battle Of Heights

**Author's Note:**

> For the lovely xxfergiexx. For a conversation we had awhile about height differences. I hope its okay! <33

"Changmin, I need to be taller. So I decided to get new shoe lifts."

Today was going to be one of those days wasn't it? "Yunho, you couldn't possibly need new ones. You have an entire rack put aside for your collection of lifts. I've seen it. It's terrifying."

A grumble was transmitted over the phone. "But Changdola!! I need to be taller! It’s not fair that I'm the shorter one. Plus, I need to have lifts that differ in height, width, softness and structure. My lifts depend on my shoes! Hm...I wonder if they have invented shoe lifts for sandals yet?" Yunho's voice drifted off as he began to talk to himself, completely forgetting he was on the phone.

Changmin rolled his eyes as he listened to his hyung babble over the phone about the apparent necessity of shoe lifts for sandals. The man was officially obsessed (for the umpteenth time).

"Hyung, why don't you just wear heeled shoes and save yourself the trouble? You have the legs for it." Now there was a mental image. 'I'm going to have to file that idea away for later use.'

Changmin snapped back to reality in time to hear Yunho's protests. "Everyone would know that I was taller then. That would totally defeat the purpose of lifts. They are subtle. And no I don't!" This last remark was punctuated by the audible stamping of Yunho's foot against the hardwood flooring. An image of a delicious pout appeared in Changmin's mind and refused to budge. Really, the man was infuriating.

"Lifts aren't subtle to begin with hyung, especially when you wear them. You always manage to shoot up 2.2 centimeters in under a second. I would think the fans had noticed by now."

"I am so subtle. Besides, I have to be tall." There were scuffled sounds and then Yunho popped back on the phone. "Oops, manager hyung is here. I will see you at rehearsals alright?"

"Bye hyung." Changmin managed to sneak in before the dial tone was all that he could hear. He grinned, thinking of his manager's face as he learned exactly what Yunho's errand was for the day. Manager-hyung would be lucky if he only had to wait 2 hours for Yunho. Boy was Changmin glad he didn't have to be there.

Changmin had forgotten about the shoe-lifts conversation fairly quickly. After all, he had more important things to think about, such as the strategy he would need to beat Kyuhyun at the latest video games. Important stuff.

Therefore, it is unsurprising that Changmin's jaw dropped several stories when his hyung entered their dressing room wearing lifts that made him taller than Changmin by at least one centimeter. If his increased height didn't ignite Changmin's temper then Yunho's upbeat, slightly smug smile definitely did. The little minx. How dare he be taller than Changmin? There were some things in life you just don't mess with. The fact that Changmin was taller was one of them.

He snarled quietly, eyes fixated on his hyung who was pointedly ignoring him and speaking to the coordi-noona. She was gesticulating to his new height with a small disbelieving smile on her face. She also kept sneaking small glances at the younger member of the duo, as if she couldn't believe what was transpiring. She also definitely did not want to be between the two of them when tempers came to a boil.

The poor coordi-noona was saved when Yunho ended their conversation and sauntered over to Changmin, purposefully ignoring the face-melting glare. "Okay Chami, let's get started with rehearsal. Some of the dancers wanted to go over the more complicated steps and I think you need a refresher on that one step in particular..."

He was cut off with a terse "Yunho. What. Are. You. Wearing?"

Yunho ignored this, and continued "Do you know if we are last again today? I was hoping to get some time in to talk to..."

This time Yunho wasn't even allowed to finish a sentence. "Yunho. Why are you wearing lifts? Especially those ones. They are practically stilts. The manager who had gone shopping with Yunho stopped nearby, suddenly feeling rather cold but wanting to be near in case he had to separate the boys. Or well, prevent the younger one from killing the now-taller older male.

"They are my new ones and I thought I would break them in tonight. What do you think of them? Manager-hyung approved. They were also on sale!"

Rather nasty thoughts flew through Changmin's mind as to why those particular lifts were on sale. Also, "manager-hyung" was going to have to be spoken to. Said man felt another, stronger chill in the air and wisely decided to make himself scarce. Although he was no chicken, Changmin's anger was palpable and Yunho looked as though he wasn't going to budge an inch on the issue.

By the time the rehearsal was over, the tension between the two males had not dissipated. Changmin was still glaring at his hyung with the same power level, and although Yunho's face was sunshiny, there was a glint in his eyes that was usually not in evidence. 'This is getting out of hand,' thought Changmin as he took in the physical as well as mental distance between himself and Yunho. 'I don't mind Yunho being the same height as me, and I can't really complain when he is photoshopped into being taller than I but it irks me to have him actually be taller. What's wrong with his actual height?' 

Changmin had previously thought that if he had just let Yunho be the obsession for shoe lifts would eventually fade. However, if anything, the obsession was growing stronger. 'Something has got to be done.'

Now for most people, the thought "something has got to be done" would entail talking to the person in trouble and working out the problem. Unfortunately, one has to not be under stress or emotionally involved in the situation. Since Changmin was both of those two things, he went for the irrational solution and decided to beat Yunho at his own game. Their staff secretly called it "The Battle of Mount Rushmore." Both members of DBSK were tall to begin with, dwarfing the females on the staff and beating out the males by a couple of centimeters at most.

Now the two boys dwarfed everyone, regaining their titles (at least on Changmin's part) for tallest people in the SM family and towering over most of the people they saw every day. It had started subtly enough. Changmin had shown up the next day with lifts in his shoes that made him just slightly taller than his hyung, who was still wearing his new lifts. Yunho's mouth, which was usually lush and soft, had tightened when Changmin had entered the room. A challenge had been given, and Yunho was not about to step away.

It was downhill from there. Every day, one of them was taller with some height differences being small, and other being larger jumps of 0.5cm. Those who knew the boys well were entertained by this minor competition at first. Yunho and Changmin were known for their competitive natures and as such, this battle of heights was perceived to be of little importance. They were wrong. Once both boys had passed 195cm, the battle became less amusing and more exasperating. The coordi-noonas were tired of having to let down the hems of the boys' pants as they became too tall for their "normal" measurements. No one liked being that much shorter than the TVXQ duo, especially those who had not been gifted with height in the first place.

It finally came to the elder manager to put the two males back in their place. He pulled them aside at the SM building and spoke to them bluntly. "This has to end boys. I am not entirely certain what started this, but it has to end. You are terrifying the rookies, as gentle giants you are not, and everyone else just wants to smack you over the head until you wake up and smell the coffee. It was funny at first. But no longer."

Both Changmin and Yunho bowed their head and murmured their acquiescence. Both stumbled out of the office, with Changmin barely managing to catch Yunho before he hit the ground. When upset, the elder tended to be clumsy and now was no exception. Yunho accepted the help for a short period of time and then he ripped his arm from Changmin's grip. There was an anguished look in face, caused by the realization of what the argument had done to those around him.

"Yun. It’s over. I give up, no more shoe lifts for me." Changmin stated softly, staring into those deep brown eyes.

Yunho bit down on his lower lip ('dammit Hyung. Not now.') "The battle is over Minnie, but I still want to wear my own lifts. I like the height they give me. I just won't wear the really tall ones."

Min watched Yunho's back as he walked down the hall. Yunho had given in some, but there must have still been something bothering him. What was it with lifts and that boy? While he could usually read Yunho like a book, a talent developed over 10+ years together, he had absolutely no idea what was wrong at the moment. Changmin was going to have to call in his backup.

Now Yunho was the sunshine of the SM family, which meant that he got along with most of the people in the company, but he was only true friends with a few. It was just how Yunho worked. He liked most people, but trusted only a few. 'That,' Changmin thought 'makes it easier to figure out who to talk to.'

Boa was first on Changmin's list, simply because of her relationship with Yunho. The two of them were as thick as thieves and told each other everything. Boa was also willing to kick Yunho's ass if she ever needed to and, in Changmin's humble opinion, now was one of those times. To his surprise though, Boa declined,

"Min, there is something going on with Yunho. I am all for you kicking his ass but I am so not getting in between you two. I do value my life you know."

Changmin sighed. "Has he...mentioned anything to you about the subject?"

"If he has, it wasn't directly."

Boa stared up at Changmin, noting the worry in his eyes and the way he was trying so desperately to hide it. She patted his arm. "It will be okay Min."

He just looked at her, nodded shortly and walked away. Boa grinned, suddenly feeling very sorry for Yunho in a completely non-sincere way. He was about to have his hands full with a very pissed off maknae.

 

When Changmin needed a plan, he always turned to the same people. It helped to make plans with people who were devious like you, so naturally the Kyuline was his first plan of attack for Yunho. At their next meeting at Kyuhyun's dorm, they opened several bottles of wine from the maknae's extensive collection and talked. Towards the second bottle, the topic of the height battle was brought up by Minho, who, predictably, was wildly amused by the whole thing.

It then took several more bottles for everyone to stop laughing and try to solve the problem. Well, they were really rather forced into solving the problem, but that is a different story.

It was finally Kyuhyun who came up with the brilliant suggestion of hiding Yunho's lifts, saying in burst of drunken brilliance "If Hyung can't find them, he can't wear them." Changmin's brow furrowed, sensing that something must be wrong with that statement, but the haze in his brain was apparently obstructing the process of his so-called brilliant mind. Plans were made and the boys celebrated their genius with a few more bottles of wine, barely a dent in Kyuhyun's rather extensive collection. Then the rest of the SUJU boys joined in the party and really Changmin didn't have a fighting chance for not having a hangover the next morning.

 

The next morning hit Changmin between the eyes like a sledgehammer. Or maybe that was the slamming of his bedroom door. An irate Yunho followed the unnecessary bang of his door, looking like he could either set things on fire with his eyes, or drown Changmin with tears.

"Hyung?" Normally the husky tone that came from Changmin would have made Yunho weak at the knees. This was not a normal Yunho though. His beloved lifts were missing. Somehow he had lost his entire collection and they were nowhere to be found in his own apartment. He would know as Yunho had spent the past hour and a half scouring his home. He had even looked in the cabinets under the sinks. Nothing. So, the first person he had thought of to blame was his very own maknae. After all, he seemed to hold the biggest grudge against them.

"Where are they?" Yunho stalked to a safe distance away from the bed, not completely trusting himself with Changmin lying there so tempting. Instead of thinking those distracting thoughts, he allowed himself to think in his anger. It was not the satisfying option per se but it was the safer one.

"Where did you hide them?"

Changmin sat up more fully, closing his eyes briefly against the pounding of his skull. I guess it wasn't the door he felt. He tried to gather a stream of thought. "Where is what?"

"You know exactly what I am talking about! I will search this apartment until I find them."

"I don't but go ahead and look if it would make you feel better." Changmin flopped backwards and buried his face in the pillows. It was way too early for this.

Yunho bit out "Fine." He stomped into the closets and began to tear things apart looking for his beloved lifts. "Not my beautiful organized closet! Couldn't he at least be neat?" 

Yunho made short work of Changmin's apartment, owing in part to the fact that Changmin was rather neat with his belongings. There were also so many places to hide the sheer number of lifts that Yunho owned. By the time Yunho reached the very last place he would have looked (the inside of the dryer), he faced the terrible fact that he might never find his lifts.

He trudged back to his maknae's room, head down and feeling slightly ashamed of his actions. He was to just accuse Min of stealing. He found his beloved younger half coming out of the bathroom, a look of vague horror displayed on his face. "Hyung. What. Did. You. Do? This place is a mess!"

Yunho smiled sheepishly and apologized. "Sorry Min, I got carried away. I...couldn't find my shoe lifts anywhere in my room today and I thought perhaps that...maybe...you had stolen them. I'm sorry!"

Changmin just stared. "You thought I would steal your lifts? Why on earth would you think that?"

"Because you hated them!"

"Yeah, because you were using them as a crutch! I wouldn't steal them though!" Although, that idea sounds vaguely familiar... "Yun, don't you trust me? What is it about those lifts?"

"I'm sorry Min...do you want me to clean up?"

"No no. Nevermind. I'll do it. Just...go home." Changmin couldn't look his hyung in the face. There was a niggling thought at the back of his head that perhaps Yunho was right, but he couldn't pin the thought down for a long enough period of time to verify it or not. At the moment he was just upset.

Yunho nodded shakily and quietly let himself out. He traveled back to his apartment in a daze, suddenly finding himself on the sofa in his living room. In front of him was his iPad and he lifted it with quivering hands, settling himself more firmly upon the cushions. Yunho scrolled through to his selection of pictures as he made a habit of saving his favorite shots of the two of them, both of the photo-shoot variety and the personal ones. He lingered on his favorites, those that showed the height difference between the two of them. Yunho fit so well into his other half's arms and he noted the hands that kept him close to the maknae's body.

As Yunho reminisced, he noted what had really been missing in his life. It was that look in Changmin's eyes as he looked down upon Yunho's visage. The look spoke of happiness, pride and love. A different expression had been gracing his gorgeous features of late, worry and concern over-riding the others. Yunho wanted that look back.

This whole situation was probably his fault. He had been feeling down on himself because of how short he was in comparison to Min, and he wanted the difference to be more balanced out. Plus, he had naively thought that it would make it easier for them to kiss. Sadly, Changmin had not gotten the hint, instead disliking the increasing height and even fighting with Yunho. He should probably talk to his maknae. The look on Min's face as he left had broken his heart, and made it clear to Yunho which apologies he had to make.

Suddenly, his doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of a guest. Yunho wiped his eyes that had apparently been tearing up and opened the door. A sheepish Changmin leaned against the doorframe, his hair falling in his eyes as he looked up. "Hi Yun. I...wanted to apologize."

Yunho grabbed him by the arm and pulled him inside, his heart beating quickly. "I need to apologize too. I wanted to apologize firstly for trashing your apartment..."

"That's okay. You were upset."

"I was, but... there is something else. I, uh, have given up the lifts."

"Why?" This was punctuated with a concerned look and an arm settling around his shoulders.

Yunho explained his thoughts, watching the complex play of emotions on Changmin's expressive face. By the time Yunho had finished his story, his head was tucked into the curved joint of Changmin's neck and shoulder. "Hyung you do know that I love you just the way you are, right? It doesn't matter to me at all that you are slightly shorter. It is just the way you are; besides you fit so well in my arms." This last part was whispered into Yunho's ear in that husky tone that sent shivers racing all over his body. "But if it makes you happy, I will support you all the way."

"I like spending time in your arms."

"Well, I can arrange for that to happen right now." The frankly lascivious statement caused Yunho to turn bright red and the rest of the day was spent in bed. Changmin spent all that time proving just how well he and Yunho fit together. Like freaking puzzle pieces, is what Yunho concluded at the end, fully out of breath and sated.

They lie entwined in each other, trying to catch their breath when Changmin suddenly spoke up. "Yun...I might know where your lifts are if you want them."

Yunho regarded him with a funny look. "You do?"

"Yeah, apparently last night we got really drunk, me and the rest of the Kyuline that is, and, uh, decided to hide your lifts."

Yunho made a funny noise, although it wasn't an angry sound. "So where are they? They aren't in your apartment, I already proved that."

"Well, it turns out that they are in Kyuhyun's apartment. Apparently they have been disguised in boxes of wine. Donghae called me after you left to tell me. He was apparently a part of the "hiding committee"."

At the end of the story, Yunho was laughing hysterically, gasping "never a dull moment" and "what you didn't get SHINee and Exo to join in?"

Changmin tickled him in retribution, a quick naked pillow fight popping up. When they had finally settled, Changmin said "Well, I guessed we all learned something here."

Yunho grinned "Yeah, never make plans with the Kyuline while drunk. It can get pretty complicated pretty fast."

Changmin laughed "And that I love you no matter what."

"Right!" They snuggled together again on top of the mess of covers. It was never a quiet day in the TVXQ household.


End file.
